Live Like It's 1999
by Muffy Kastel
Summary: Think of it like a pruning. But instead of a tree, it is of a timeline. And Kamui can't tell if this new world is some sick joke or a blessing in disguise. – All Cast, AU/Reincarnation.


**Live Like It's 1999**

_Think of it like a pruning. But instead of a tree, it is of a timeline. And Kamui can't tell if this new world is some sick joke or a blessing in disguise. – All Cast, AU/Reincarnation._

**Disclaimer: I don't own X/1999, of course.**

**Notes 1: **Basically a timeline reset fic but where everyone remembers the events of the canon timeline. Of course, this includes my headcanon of how X ends since its technically taking place after the main story. Also, I guess this technically counts as a Family AU due to how things ended up.

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I.

He does not know his birth mother.

Not long after he is born, she runs out on him with Fuuma's mom.

II.

He somehow ends up in a custody battle between the Sumeragi and Sakurazuka clans. It's something he's come to understand at 16, when reflecting back on his childhood days of being forced from one household to the other.

He's 3 when he plays house with the 12 year-old Subaru and Hokuto Sumeragi. Despite it not being allowed, they go down the block and drag a 21 year-old Seishirou Sakurazuka to play with them.

Hokuto, having watched way too many family dramas lately, demands she is the cool rich aunt and Subaru and Seishirou have to be Kamui's parents in their game of _'House'_.

This is the first clear memory Kamui has of his childhood and while he can't quite remember what happened after Hokuto declared that, he has a feeling it ended up with Subaru blushing and Seishirou laughing.

III.

At school, his only friends are Fuuma and Kotori. And that's fine and dandy. There's no hard feelings between him and the Monou family after his mother ditched him and ran away with their mom.

But going to their house is a bit weird though, because Uncle Kyougo looks at him with such sad eyes.

He may be only 4, but Kamui vows to protect Kotori. And Fuuma vows to protect him.

(And maybe, deep down, Kamui vows to protect Fuuma too. Even if he doesn't quite realize it yet).

IV.

He's 5 when he starts seeing things. Sometimes they're visions, sometimes they're dreams.

_He's standing atop something tall,_

_There's a girl that looks like Kotori being hanged up and-and-Fuuma! Fuuma! Is that really Fuuma?_

_What's he doing? What. Is. He-_

_Then he's sees others. A ragtag group of people standing around together as they stare down the beautiful city of Tokyo._

They move in glimpses. He can never really tell what's going on and sometimes he can barely remember them. But it doesn't change his mind in trying to tell other people about it.

But he's too late. Everyone else sees things too and unfortunately, they let it get the best of them.

V.

Subaru Sumeragi is 15 when he stands by the large koi pond in the center of the ancient household. He swears he sees a glimmer move in the outdoor corridors of the main room where Hokuto, Kamui and Seishirou sit discussing things with his dying grandmother.

Then he gets a flash of blood and sakura petals.

He sees a hand covered in blood and his sister and his Seishirou and-

_I'm getting sick and tired of these stupid visions-just-just-just someone! Make them stop!_

_That's not me! And that's not them!_

_I didn't do those things! And I wouldn't-! And-and…_

_Neither would they? Right? Right!?_

Kamui opens the door to go and find Subaru. His grandmother wants the new Sumeragi Clan head immediately to discuss matters of the household and where it will go from here when she is no longer around.

He is 6 when he watches Subaru willingly fall into the pond.

VI.

Subaru's grandmother is dead.

The Sakurazuka family wins the custody battle in more ways than one.

Seishirou brings Kamui into his house, along with a Hokuto who decides the minute she walks through the front door she wants to renovate the place and a Subaru who is never allowed to leave his vision.

Nobody wants a repeat of what happened a year ago. But Hokuto and Seishirou understand why the boy did it.

Everyone adjusts themselves comfortably in the house and Seishirou slips out at night to the park, to that tree. Or where it should be.

It's been torched down years ago, by his own hand. Seishirou is 25 and he remembers what that means and what happened during that wracking year of the bet.

_Let's not have another repeat of last time, shall we? _

_You killed my life even when I lived. _

_I couldn't feel anything. _

All he feels is seething hatred and something that couldn't be satisfied by just getting rid of the tree once.

He sighs and heads back home. Nothing is going to happen this time, because he won't let it.

Kamui sneaks out of bed after hearing a clang in the kitchen. He peeps through the doorway to see Seishirou holding a knife to his throat and inching it closer and closer till it just…stops.

_I can feel._

_I can feel._

_I can feel. _

Seishirou tells himself that over and over again because he can. He's in fear of what could happen if someone sees his body in the morning and he's still guilty for what happened in the past.

_I'm supposed to make up my mistakes from last time, not make it difficult for everyone else!_

He slowly puts the knife down but whips his head around fast when he hears a sharp breath. Standing at the edge of the doorway is Kamui and he has no idea how long the boy has been there for. What did he see?

Kamui is 7 when he silently walks up to Seishirou and pulls him by the hand back to bed, leaving the older man to smile to himself.

_No more Sakurazukamori._

_I'm going to be the most emotional person on the planet now, past and lineage be damned. _

VII.

Kamui is 8 when he meet's Hokuto's mysterious quiet friend, Kakyou.

There's a serene grace in the air when Hokuto brings him home to meet 'the family'. Subaru and Seishirou treat him kindly enough and something about the way they treat him tells Kamui that they might have met the man already.

Kakyou talks well, but is very quiet, so Kamui has to strain to hear him sometimes.

Eventually everyone else moves into the kitchen to get dinner ready, leaving the guest and Kamui in the leaving room to watch T.V.

Kakyou asks minor questions here and there and Kamui indulges them while asking some as well, but it was painfully clear that neither were the talkative type. Until, Kakyou rests his hand on Kamui's head.

"It's nice to see you living in normalcy now," he says cryptically and gets up to go to the kitchen.

Any normal kid would have badgered him with questions, but Kamui stays on the couch and continues to watch T.V. mindlessly and a crooked smile appears on his face.

"Good to see you up and about too, Kakyou." A voice much deeper than his own speaks.

VIII.

Subaru is 18.

Seishirou at 27, doesn't let this opportunity pass by.

They may be the heads of Sumeragi and Sakurazuka clans, but onmyodo was a dying art in this new world Kamui concocted. Even with the fade of magic, the connections the families still made are intact, even if they are shady-underground connections.

Somehow Seishirou and Subaru are legally married and decide the right course of action.

They will adopt Kamui. Of course, the connections have their limits and Subaru is legally listed as the mother but hey, you can't win them all.

He is 9 when he becomes Kamui Sakurazuka.

IX.

He is 10 and he remembers.

Well, most of it anyways. The last thing is Fuuma holding the sword in the air and-

Maybe its best if everything ends there, he supposes. Why remember another life in another world anyways? But then feelings…but then feelings come back.

He's always liked Fuuma since before, he won't let this stop him.

Kotori was practically like a little sister now, the feelings from the other life have been changed into familial love.

Hokuto and Kakyou were new to his life, nothing from the past changed could him.

But he liked Subaru, a lot. A lot, lot.

And he hated Seishirou for taking away Subaru from him.

But that was then, this was now. He could be mature about his feelings now or let it eat him alive like it did last time.

_He took Subaru's attention away from us last time and he's doing it again. _A deep voice in the back of his mind whispered.

_Admit it, you hate him. Just like me, because we are no different. _It tells him, filled with disdain.

_He's a good-for-nothing, heartless assassin. He's always going to be out to kill, whether it be physically or emotionally. We're better for Subaru in every way and you know it," _Kamui wants to drown the voice out because he knows it's not true. He was meant for Fuuma in the same way Subaru was meant for Seishirou!

But the voice ignores his whimpers and trembles and continues on. _We understand each other, us and him. He has suffered because of an insufferable man and so have we. It's a pain that no one else can comprehend other than us and that makes us perfect for each other. Hate that unfeeling assassin-hate-hate-hate-hate-_

"Shut up! Don't talk about my parents like that!" Kamui screamed. He was thankful that he was alone in the house right now with everyone else outside.

"They've changed! And so have I!" He shouted and he heard a stifle from the voice.

It retreated to the back of mind, leaving Kamui now alone in his bedroom.

_I'm no longer the Kamui. _

_I'm a Kamui._

_And I'm going to live without the world on my shoulders. _

X.

He's 11 when he meets Sorata, a few weeks into the second month of Middle School.

Fuuma was a grade above him and Kotori was still in elementary, having been left back a year.

The much taller boy is well-needed, Kamui was getting tired of sitting alone in class. Sorata tells him about the stern looking girl that sits in the front and how she was a real 'cutie'.

Kamui urges him to go talk to her, mostly because he realizes she is like him. She is always alone in class with no one to talk too and to make it worse, sits alone at lunch.

Sorata scoffs, and tells him: "Pssh, I was gonna do that anyways, duh," And it's probably true, someone like Sorata didn't need his encouragement.

Sorata goes over to her and Kamui sits by, idly watching with a smirk, waiting for Sorata to say something stupid. Being an ex-Kamui has its perks though, because indeed, Sorata did say something stupid and got whacked on the head by the girl.

But he's surprised when she doesn't chase Sorata away. He watches as Sorata continues to talk and then points to him. Within moments he's being dragged over to meet Arashi Kishuu.

And now there's another person at lunch with him, Fuuma and Sorata.

XI.

Kotori now joins them in Middle School, the blonde latching on to her brother and Kamui the first day and has stuck with them since.

That isn't to say she hasn't made friends though. She brings over a peppy girl named Yuzuriha Aoki, who they meet after school with her dog.

Inuki has become quite the traction among the friends, a welcome sight after a stressful day of school.

The 6 of them could be found walking the halls together, laughing as if nothing in the world was wrong.

(And for them, it wasn't now).

Kamui is 12 and he has a total of 5 friends he can rely on.

XII.

He's 13 when he meets the college senior, Satsuki Yatouji. The tech genius joins their class as a teaching assistant, very reluctant to do her job.

She walks around like a student and eats lunch on the rooftop like those loners in a T.V. show.

But she's helpful, smart, and great with computers.

Horrifyingly good, to point where some kids are scared to talk to her, even for help.

But not Kamui. Or Fuuma, or Sorata, or Arashi or Kotori or Yuzuriha (though she does feel some type of way about it, not malice but…), it just seems natural to go to her. To talk to her, because there is a connection there even if all them don't want to admit it.

Through Satsuki they meet Yuuto Kigai, her 'insanely hot older boyfriend' as some of the girls in their class put it. He teases the group of teens for not being huge gamers in a growing tech world. Sorata challenges him to a match in the latest new fighting game after school and drags everyone in on joining him.

Satsuki, rather reluctantly, hacks into a few school computers to hook the game up. The minute the computer lab clears out for the day, the group of teens + duo of adults go in and begin the first round.

Kamui remembers having a good time that day. He recalls Satsuki refuse to play but watching with the faintest of smiles as he, Fuuma, and Sorata utterly wrecked Yuuto in the first round of the match. The blond didn't fare any better against the girls, who teamed up to destroy him in record time.

It was a great day, even if he came home late and got yelled at by his parents.

XIII.

Aunt Karen and Uncle Seiichirou come over with gifts in hand. Kazuki excitedly rushes in, happy to see Kamui again and whines to her older sister about hogging their shared friend group for themselves.

Yuzuriha, usually a perky girl but now a drained older sister sighs and ruffles the younger's hair. She turns to her parents for them to do something but Karen and Seiichirou merely shrug and tell her to entertain her sister's joy for a bit.

Kamui's 14 and its Aunt Hokuto and Uncle Kakyou's wedding 'after party'. Not really a reception per say, since it was currently being held at the old Sumeragi Estate, now technically Subaru's. No one really lived there permanently anymore. After Lady Sumeragi passed, everyone that lived in the main house dispersed.

But the place was big and grand and perfect for events like this. The party was in full swing, alcohol flowing and lots of cake everywhere. And it wasn't even supposed to formally start yet.

Lots of people are here ranging from Hokuto's fashion colleagues to family to all the dragons. Mostly adults were here, talking about adult things and were generally boring. Kamui led Yuzuriha and Kazuki upstairs in a back room where the rest of the kids were.

While the Sumeragi Estate was lovely, it was also terribly old. The deeper you went, the more the repairs the house needed were evident. It was probably why a lot of people ditched it after the 12th head of the clan died. A lot of people didn't want to put out the money to fix this place it seemed.

(That included current clan head Subaru Sumeragi, by the way. Not even he wanted to spend money on his childhood home, which said a lot).

That meant little to no technology. The T.V. wasn't hooked up properly and could only play tapes, of which there were only 2. For a party that was going to last well into the next morning, 2 movies could not sustain that long. But Kamui suggested they go snoop around the storage rooms to hunt for more.

It didn't take long to go to the other end of the hallway and find a giant room filled with boxes. They split up, with everyone assigned a box. Kotori got lucky and found two more tapes. Sorata found a basketball, which Fuuma promptly wanted and the two got into a bit of a scuffle.

Kazuki found a Chinese finger trap and got herself stuck, leaving Yuzuriha to help her out of it.

Arashi put her foot down, causing both boys to stop fighting and then ordered Kamui to get some snacks from downstairs seeing as he was the only one idling around. The lavender eyed teen sighed and plunged himself back into the lands of vodka and spicy food.

He spotted his parents at the top table alone with the newlywed couple, talking with Aunt Karen and Uncle Seichiirou. Apparently they all worked together now, sans Aunt Hokuto. He thought it was strange for his parents to get a job in the publishing industry, along with Aunt Karen and Uncle Kakyou.

But hey, it made them happy.

_Putting all your problems into writing seems like a good way to go about it, _the voice in the back of Kamui's mind says. It's long given up trying to change his mind about the people around him and has grown to accept that things are different this time as well. Though there's still a sneer to its voice that Kamui can't place.

He only sighs and begins to stack pieces of sweets onto plates, only to start fumbling around. In a moment, there's a large man next to him with several plates as well.

"Need a hand, kid?"

Kamui nods as he recognizes the man as Kusanagi Shiyuu and the two divide the plates of food evenly and begin to bring them up stairs. He doesn't even know how his family even knows the man this time around, but he doesn't question it. He remembers his connection with Yuzuriha well enough to trust him.

They make small talk as they go upstairs and much to his relief, everyone was back in the T.V. room with a total of five new tapes found. Yuzuriha, upon seeing the military man, bolts to give him a hug.

Everyone else smiles as the sight but remain silent. Kusanagi pries her off him and comments upon the kids having a 'cool hang out' before leaving.

It was a fun night, chatting around while breezing through 6 movies and eating sweets and drinking soda in a rickety old room. Yeah, no one really had much 'real food' that day.

It's about 3 in the morning when Aunt Karen is sent to collect them. She interrupts them nearing the ending of _The Karate Kid. _Kazuki whines that they were just about to watch _Alice in Wonderland._ The pink-haired beauty clicks her teeth and all the teens (+ one child) begrudgingly get up to clean their mess and turn off the T.V.

Kamui wakes up the next day in his own bed, relieved. He eyes the box of tapes in the corner of his room with a smile.

They really 'oughta go back to the main house more often. Who knows what else there is to explore?

XIV.

He hates how his school makes him join clubs after school. He just wants to go home and finish his homework quickly and relax. Hanging out with his friends and doing other activities could come later. Thankfully, his usual circle agreed with him and gave them a topic to rant about at lunch time.

Unfortunately, the boy walking next to him did not. Keiichi Segawa was talking his ear off, about how fun art club was and how exciting the next project was going to be. Kamui groaned and wished he joined the literature club instead with Arashi.

At 15, he and Keiichi walk down the rainy streets of Tokyo on their way home. Normally they took the bus home, but with all the construction going on in the area it was placed on detour, forcing them to walk half-way.

It wasn't that he disliked Keiichi, but sometimes the boy couldn't read the atmosphere very well. Adding onto the fact that Keiichi lived further down from him meant that Kamui was stuck hearing him talk the entire way home.

Kamui could already feel a headache coming on. Just great, thanks Keiichi.

They walk through the busy government district and out of the corner of his eye he spots a tall woman with long black hair hurriedly making her down the street. Her messy bangs and glasses giver her away as Tokiko Magami and Kamui passes her straight.

He could feel her eyes bore into his back as he continues to walk home. He smirks and for once, obliges Keiichi in conversation, making the other boy delighted.

_Trust me, its better off this way, Aunt Tokiko._

XV.

It's his 16th birthday and he stands in front of a white-haired woman in a wheelchair and a tall woman wearing clothes way too revealing for her position in government.

Hinoto bows her head, apologizing profusely for the things that happened in that other life. For 16 years she was unable to wash down the guilt and move forward like the rest of them. Kanoe stands her side, not as apologetic as her sister but still averting Kamui's eyes all the same.

Fuuma, who was in the room earlier had promptly left in anger after realizing what this meeting was about, calling it stupid and "something Kamui should handle". For Kanoe, now looking at Kamui was like looking at her own 'Kamui'.

Much to both of their surprise, Kamui brings them both into a hug. He doesn't understand why their apologizing nor does he care.

_Move on please, and be different._

It's a silent message the two women get. He asks them to come around sometime as he leaves the room, waving.

Outside, Daisuke leans up against the wall, smirking. Kamui fist bumps him as he passes and calls over his shoulder to make sure Hinoto and Kanoe come to the barbeque next Sunday.

XVI.

He's 17. _He's 17._

Kamui Sakurazuka is _17._

Well not quite.

He stares at the calendar in the kitchen that reads December 1999. He slowly takes it off the nail it was hanging on and throws into the trash. The calendar that was behind it is now in its place, in full view it reads the wonderful: January 2000.

His birthday isn't till the end of the year but he's made it through 1999, something that the voice inside of him couldn't do. It wallows and then finally dissipates until it's just him now, staring at a calendar with a wide grin on his face.

He hears Aunt Hokuto laughing from the living room and groans from his hung-over parents, as they both crashed on the couch last night after a wild New Year's Party. Uncle Kakyou passes by him and asks if he wants any breakfast, that's he making pancakes from scratch and that it's something Hokuto, Subaru and Seishirou agreed on, but if Kamui just wants to jump right into lunch because it's already 12:30 then he's free to do so. There's left over Chinese take-out in the fridge but Kamui has a feeling his parents are gonna want that later.

Kamui looks at the little note he wrote under the date.

_Date with Fuuma at 5!_

In about 2 hours, Arashi and Yuzuriha are coming over to help him get ready, while he simultaneously helps them get ready for their dates with Sorata and Kusanagi, respectively. Afterword's, he's fully expecting Kotori to call and tease him about the date and her older brother.

Aunt Hokuto is most likely going to intervene when they're all getting ready and try to put them into pretty outfits. And with his parents knocked out, she'll practically have free reign to whatever she wants in the house while Uncle Kakyou watches with a soft smile.

Kazuki is probably going to call the house phone a million times to see how her older sister is doing and he'll hear a lot of apologies from Aunt Karen and Uncle Seiichirou as they try to pull the phone away from their youngest daughter.

But that's fine, Kamui's expecting a lot of intervention today.

He wouldn't be surprised if he and Fuuma run into Satsuki or Yuuto seeing as they currently worked near the café they were going too. And apparently, Hinoto, Kanoe and Daisuke frequented the place as well seeing as how they had the princesses' favorite pastries and wasn't too far from the Diet building.

His stomach rumbles and he finds himself at the fridge, getting out the whipped cream and strawberries while telling Uncle Kakyou to prepare some pancakes for him as well.

Kamui Sakurazuka has a long day ahead of him.

_(Goodbye Kamui Shirou, may you rest in a world where there is no suffering). _

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FIN.

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**Notes 2: **Here's some clarifications about some stuff.

This is technically supposed to be a companion piece to another fic I'm working on, that I'm like not even sure if I'll ever finish. This is supposed to be the back story to that fic. So a lot of explanations about this world were meant to be explained in that fic more clearly, but then again I don't really think you need to know them to enjoy this.

As for the final day and what exactly happened to lead to a world like this then…you could read it as everyone dying, like the movie but I like to think of it as Kamui's wish was for everyone to get a fresh start without any magic involved in their lives-thus leading to an immediate restart of the timeline.

This doesn't mean there weren't any survivors along with Kamui though, it's just that Kamui's wish took immediate effect after Fuuma died. The survivor list is similar to the anime's except just swapping Kamui out with Fuuma.

Anyways hope you enjoyed a Happy AU, something that these characters really needed.

-Sailor Rayquaza


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